


Foresight

by LittleMissDiggity



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 13:20:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6567955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissDiggity/pseuds/LittleMissDiggity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette is just trying to keep it together. But when things start to collide in both her worlds, she'll find having two lives to live is harder than she thought. Saving Paris is easy in comparison to what is to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Foresight

“ _Now Ladybug!”_ cried Chat Noir.

Ladybug took her cue. With a determined smirk on her face, she sprinted across the football field. Her legs pumped faster and faster, the crunching of turf after each long stride synchronized with her heartbeat. Adrenaline shot through her veins, causing her fingertips to tingle. Thoughts and calculations whirled through her head as she grew closer to her partner and the akumatized victim. The Giant, as they had named him, rattled the entire stadium. He stumbled around Chat Noir clumsily, trying to stomp on him with his massive foot. Distracted and frustrated, the Giant let out an anguished scoul as Chat was able to deftly weave through his legs, yet again escaping certain death. Even without looking, Ladybug could sense the goofy smile plastered on his face from his own amusement. She rolled her eyes. As she sprinted closer, the cheering and howling of the possessed audience in the stands came to a deafening roar. Without being in control of their own actions, they urged on the fight with sharp jeers and pounding fists. The cacophony of voices rang in her ears and unnerved her concentration. _It’s time to end this,_ she resolved.

From behind, Ladybug ricocheted up the stadium walls and landed on the Giant’s immense shoulder. Her legs wabbled and her arms flailed as she tried to regain her balance. Planting her feet firmly, Ladybug scanned the ugly face of her opponent. The eyes and mouth twisted in unnatural ways, distorting his original appearance, his hair was greasy and slick and shined in the stadium lights, and a pungent cloud of odor hung in the air. The Giant’s shoulders continued to sway and jerk with movement as Ladybug finally eyed her prize. She inched carefully closer to the Giant’s large head, where a pair of glasses were perched precariously on the tip of his arched nose. _Almost there._

“Anytime now, Ladybug!” She heard her partner shout from below her as the stadium rumbled again with the smashing of a huge foot.

“Working on it,” she mumbled to herself. When she was sure her stance was secure, Ladybug reached for her yoyo on her hip. While holding onto the sturdy string, she threw it forward, and snatched the glasses off the Giant’s nose. A gurgling scream escaped his warped colossal mouth that shook Ladybug to the very soles of her feet. He swatted at her on his shoulders with hands the size of cars. Dodging each strike with grace, she knew time was running out. Planting her feet firmly, Ladybug grasped the glasses in her hands and snapped them in two. A small black and purple butterfly was then released from the broken shards of the glasses. Gracefully, Ladybug snatched the small butterfly in her yoyo, detoxing the harmful insect. With a flash of light, the akuma’s bad energy flowed from it, leaving a beautiful white butterfly caged in her yoyo.

“Bye, bye, little butterfly,” smiled Ladybug and she released the pure akuma.

But the peace was short lived.

Soon the solid shoulder of the Giant began to quiver and shake from beneath her as his size rapidly diminished. Ladybug’s eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips. She didn’t think this one through. With a sudden jolt from under her, her once secure footing was swept away and her balance was lost. Before she had time to sling her yoyo around a nearby pole, she was falling. Falling towards the solid, hard, deadly ground beneath her. Her stomach dropped and she clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitably painful contact.

It never came.

“Looks like you’re falling for me, m’lady,” a coy voice smiled in her ear.

Ladybug opened one eye and found herself being cradled in the arms of Chat Noir, a goofy smile spread across his face. She groaned, but couldn’t stop the intense gratification growing inside her. What would she do without him? Her partner was somehow so in sync with her every move, that he knew exactly when she needed him most. He was always there.

“Ya right,” she laughed, throwing him her own dazzling smile as she lept from his arms, disregarding his advances.

Ladybug glanced to her right as she set her feet on the level turf, and found a scrawny boy on the ground rubbing his head, dazed and confused. Next to him were the glasses she had cracked in half only moments before, now completely unharmed. She picked them up and knelt next to the small boy.

“Here,” she said with a friendly smile and handed the thick frames to him. His face was back to normal. His features were round and childish and friendly. _There’s no evil inside of him,_ Ladybug thought _._ The kid clumsily reached for the glasses and put them back on. He blinked twice and his mouth fell slightly open as he suddenly registered the superhero kneeling right in front of him.

“Thank you,” his voice cracked. He was obviously younger than Ladybug, maybe ten or eleven. She smiled again.

Before she could ask how this happened, or what the last thing he remembered was, a rush of reporters circled the two superheros. Microphones and cameras were thrust into their faces. Questions and accusations were being thrown at them too fast to answer. A wave of people cascaded down the stands, finally coming out of their possessed daze. It was chaotic, but somehow, she noticed the boy get swept up in the arms of his parents. He was okay. The day was saved yet again. Ladybug wanted to relax and enjoy the success she and her partner had just accomplished, but more tension began to rise as the reporters continued to close in on the two superheroes, slowly crushing bodies and cameras into them.

Ladybug’s nerves went on high alert, becoming hyper aware of every movement and noise. She hated this. The bodies continued to press forward with sweaty hands holding unwieldy cameras. She inched ever so slightly closer to Chat and he immediately responded. Chat knew this was her least favorite part of being a superhero. The attention was incessant. He was much more comfortable in front of the cameras. Though Ladybug did most of the talking, she could always feel him close beside her, radiating his own charm onto her. He always gave her the support she needed. And she was eternally grateful for that.  

Together, Ladybug and Chat Noir answered the questions that were thrown at them with grace. They explained certain choices, corrected rumors, and dodged unexplainable questions. Some things they could never answer. In the middle of responding to a question about the technicality of her yoyo, a small beeping sounded. _Thank goodness._

“Can you finish this up, Chat?” Ladybug asked her partner over the voices of the reporters.

“Anything for you, m’lady,” Chat winked flirtatiously. The reporters in the circle chuckled as Ladybug took off in the direction of the stands.

Thankfully, the crowd had dispersed, leaving a perfectly deserted area for Ladybug to transform back into her civilian self. In a dark hallway leading out of the stadium, she released her transformation. Soon Tikki was floating right by her side.

“Amazing job today, Marinette!” Tikki’s small voice sang excitedly. Marinette beamed. She always felt better after capturing an akuma and releasing it’s bad energy.

“Thanks Tikki.” Marinette looked back towards the hoard of reporters surrounding Chat. A laugh escaped her lips as she saw him flexing and posing for the flashing cameras before him. He was eating it up.

“What an _idiot_.”

Marinette froze. Voices began echoing through the hallway, becoming distorted and hallow by the time they reached Marinette’s ears. Sliding along the cold wall to a more hidden spot, she watched as three large teenage boys came into view. They were standing in the tall arch of the hallway, right in front of the entrance to the field. Watching. And laughing. Arms folded, they continued to judge.

“He looks so stupid.”

“What the hell is he even doing?”

“I don’t know, man, but he’s making a complete fool of himself.”

They laughed maliciously, and Marinette’s heart stopped. Were they talking about Chat? Her face grow hot with anger as they pointed and sneered at her partner. Marinette’s mouth fell open in disbelief. Who do they think they are? They aren’t seriously making fun of Chat right now, are they?

“Marinette, calm down,” Tikki whispered warningly in her ear.

“Oh my god. Just look at him!”

“I know. I can’t take him seriously at all.”

Marinette’s fists clenched.

“I don’t understand. How can such a joke be a superhero?”

“Dude, have some dignity!”

Marinette saw red.

“They should both get lost. This idiot and the girl!”

“Ha!”

“ _Marinette!”_

But Marinette ignored Tikki’s warning and went against her better judgement. She stormed up to the three boys standing before her. She was so fueled with anger that she didn’t care what came out of her mouth. Only that she defended her friend.

“ _Hey!_ Who do you think you are?” She called out to them. All three turned around, squinting as she emerged from the dark corridor.

“Who are you?” One of the boys’ voices rang out.

“Doesn’t matter. What do you think you’re doing? Do you _know_ who that _is_?”

They all laughed. “You mean this dipshit?” Marinette flinched at the insult. How _dare_ they! She could feel her anger getting the best of her as her shoulders began to shake. What she was unaware of though, was the concerned green eyes staring at her back from across the field.

“ _Dipshit?_ Are you _serious?_ He just saved your lives! Do you even realize that? You should be thanking him!” Marinette could hear the blood pounding in her ears from frustration. How could they not like him, or at least _respect_ him? He was doing this for people like them. _They_ were doing this for people like them. But the boys just continued laughing and staring down at her, amused by her frustration. Their eyes were nasty and cruel and their smiles turned in a wicked way, reminding her of the Giant. _They’re too similar…_ It was then Marinette knew that they had caused the little boy to turn into that monster. They had caused him to become akumatized. They were to blame. Marinette’s heart pounded in her ears and her blood rushed to her face. She could feel the fluster rising to her cheeks as she looked up at their mean spirited faces. With clenched fists, she opened her mouth, ready accuse them, ready to tear them apart for what they had done.

“Is everything alright over here?”

Before a word came out of her mouth, Marinette turned her head. Chat Noir was strutting towards them with long and graceful strides. He walked with purpose, determination. She watched as his eyebrows furrowed, his jaw clenched, and his tail twitched as he grew nearer. He was on edge.

The tension in the air shifted. “Ya. Whatever,” one of the boys scoffed. It was a disgusting sound to Marinette. The three turned away, smirking maliciously and making comments under their breath, comments Marinette knew were foul and disgusting. Her blood continued to boil as their bulky figures began to fade in the shadows of the corridor and it took everything she had not to run after them, to force them to apologize to Chat and the little boy. _It was their fault._

“Hey, are you o--”

An infuriated groan erupted from Marinette’s throat. It was the only way to alleviate the growing bubble of anger inside her chest.

“Wow, Marinette, maybe--”

“I can’t believe them! I can’t believe they could actually say those things! And they _know!_ They _know_ this is _all_ their fault!” Her throat began to tighten, as if cotton balls were being shoved down her windpipe.

“Marinette, honestly--”

“Why can’t they be grateful? Or apologize for what they did? It was because of them that little boy had to go through that! He will never forget this day, never forget what he’s done.” Tears pricked at the corners of her blue eyes painfully. Her emotions were running wild, unable to be controlled. Quickly, Marinette ducked her head, trying to hide the unwelcome moisture. _Please, don’t let me cry in front of Chat..._

“Marinette?” The way his voice sounded, soft and warm and caring, somehow made the tension in Marinette’s chest lessen. The knot that was once there began to untie itself, leaving only a tired space. A sigh escaped her lips, allowing the final bit of frustration and anger to exit her body.

“I hate people like them,” she whispered.

“It’s okay. Really. It’s all part of the gig,” his chuckle echoed off the walls, filling the hallway with the happy sound. “What me and Ladybug do is try to save the world from people like them. Yeah, there might be bad people out there, but there’s always us to put things right again.” There was a silence that hung in the air as Marinette absorbed what Chat had just said. It was true. That was why they put their lives in danger everyday. She had always known that and had always accepted it. But somehow, hearing Chat say it for the first time, hearing his genuine and kind voice, made Marinette truly understand it. She had thought their job was to stop the evil in the world, when in reality, their only job was to bring back the good.

Marinette lifted her head, and for the first time since he had come over, she looked at him. Really looked. His hair was flying in all different directions, crazy and unruly after the fight only moments before. The corners of his lips were upturned slightly in his signature smile, dripping with his cool and charm. And his brilliant emerald green eyes seemed to glow and radiate warmth in the fading light. She stared up at him, truly looking at those green eyes she had seen so often for the first time. In that instant, out of nowhere, an overpowering desire to know the boy behind the mask overcame Marinette. She wanted nothing else in the world than to know the name of the boy who fought by her side everyday, her true partner, her best friend. She wanted to know him and she wanted him to know her. The real her. The girl behind the mask. Clumsy, awkward Marinette. Somehow she knew he would still be by her side even after he found out… Wouldn’t he? She pushed the thought away. Marinette continued to stare at those eyes, searching for any sense of familiarity in the flecks of dark green and deep golds dancing in those irises. But her gaze was severed when Chat quickly turned his face away, and Marinette saw the slight blush unfolding on his cheeks. Something hitched in her breath. _What?_

Chat rubbed the back of his neck nervously with his head still ducked to the side. Marinette had never seen him like this. Was he… _nervous?_

“What is it?” Marinette leaned in a little, trying to capture eye contact with him again. _Were his eyes always like that?_ Chat looked up, his emerald green color meeting her soft blue. For a moment he simply looked at Marinette, his expression unreadable, blank, like he was observing and calculating. What he was thinking, Marinette did not know.

“Chat--”

“Can I walk you home?”

Silence.

“What?” Marinette felt the breath leave her lungs. Why would he want to do that?

“You heard me. Can I walk you home?” A smirk played across his face, but somewhere beneath it was uncertainty and apprehension.

Marinette was speechless. She was going to question him, ask why he wanted to, why he thought it was necessary, why he was doing this. She was _going_ to. But somehow, all of that got lost in translation, and instead, she simply said:

“Yes.”


End file.
